System and method for providing a fantasy sports application

ABSTRACT

A system including computer memory means containing a roster of players constituting a user&#39;s team in a fantasy sports contest. Electronically accessing actual real-time player team transactions data for at least each of the players constituted as being on the user&#39;s team in the fantasy sports contest. Enabling a user to decide whether a player is on the user&#39;s team based upon the electronically accessed actual real-time player team transactions and electronically updating the player roster for the user&#39;s team based upon a user decision made in the enabling step.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates to systems and methods for providing a fantasy sports contest application, and more specifically, this invention relates to systems and methods for managing a fantasy sports team dependent upon real time player criteria.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Athletic endeavors have long supported a broad range of secondary competitions, which include wagering on the outcome of particular games and wagering on the performance of a particular player.

In known fantasy sports contests and/or simulations, a user selects a roster, a team, a particular individual, or a group of individuals in an athletic contest. The user is given the limited ability to take on the role of a fictional general manager with powers which may include the ability to draft, trade, dismiss and otherwise manage the roster of players on the user's fantasy sports team. Such conventional contests and/or simulations typically consist of fantasy games, where fictitious/virtual rosters of players from real life are assembled among a plurality of participants, and the performance of the various players in real life determines the outcome of the fantasy games. The simulations are often run on computers, where “real life” team management activities are modeled and/or simulated with either fictitious players or actual players. Typically, the behaviors of the other team entities in these simulations are carried out by a computer simulating the nature of “real life”.

In the prior art, either a fantasy sports contest provider or a league commissioner sets the rules under which a group of fantasy sports users compete against each other in a fantasy sports contest. For example, for every goal scored in real-life by a member of the user's fantasy soccer team, five points may be awarded to the user in the fantasy sports contest. The real-life athletic events upon which a fantasy sports contest may be based are varied, and typically involve selecting players from real-life team sports (e.g., football, baseball, basketball, hockey, soccer, rugby, etc.), selecting players from real-life individual sports (e.g., golf, tennis or automotive racing), or selecting participants from competitions involving animals (e.g., horse and dog racing). The user's selections are typically stored in the user's fantasy sports contest roster. The performance of these selections in real-life competitions collectively determines the user's performance in the fantasy sports contest.

While current applications may gauge and evaluate a user's players based upon a player's real world statistics they do not enable a user acting as a general manager or team owner to manager (e.g., trade, draft, dismiss, acquire, etc) a roster of players based upon real time data associated with a player's real world transactions and movements from one team to another. A further recognized drawback of current applications is existing sports simulations and games frequently lack depth of interest for people who are more serious about their interest in the sport, or are based on fictitious or simulated environments and lack realism.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In one aspect, a fantasy sports contest application is described in which an aspect of the computer-implemented method for allowing users to participate in a fantasy sports contest using real-time player team transaction data is provided.

Preferably, the system of the present invention includes computer memory means containing a roster of players constituting a user's team in a fantasy sports contest. The present invention enables electronically accessing actual real-time player team transactions data for at least each of the players constituted as being on the user's team in the fantasy sports contest.

Further provided is enabling a user to decide whether a player is on the user's team based upon the electronically accessed actual real-time player team transactions and electronically updating the player roster for the user's team based upon a user decision made in the enabling step.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The objects and features of the invention can be understood with reference to the following detailed description of an illustrative embodiment of the present invention taken together in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a system level diagram of the present invention system according to an illustrated embodiment;

FIGS. 2A and 2B are respectively a system level diagram and flow chart depicting a Transcription Tool for use with the present invention system according to an illustrated embodiment;

FIGS. 3A and 3B are respectively a system level diagram and flow chart depicting a Draft Tool for use with the present invention system according to an illustrated embodiment;

FIGS. 4A and 4B are respectively a system level diagram and flow chart depicting a Transaction Feed for use with the present invention system according to an illustrated embodiment; and

FIG. 5 is a system component overview of the present invention system according to an illustrated embodiment.

WRITTEN DESCRIPTION OF CERTAIN EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is now described more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which an illustrated embodiment of the present invention is shown. The present invention is not limited in any way to the illustrated embodiment as the illustrated embodiment described below is merely exemplary of the invention, which can be embodied in various forms, as appreciated by one skilled in the art. Therefore, it is to be understood that any structural and functional details disclosed herein are not to be interpreted as limiting, but merely as a basis for the claims and as a representative for teaching one skilled in the art to variously employ the present invention. Furthermore, the terms and phrases used herein are not intended to be limiting but rather to provide an understandable description of the invention.

It is to be appreciated the embodiments of this invention as discussed below are preferably a software algorithm, program or code residing on computer useable medium having control logic for enabling execution on a machine having a computer processor. The machine typically includes memory storage configured to provide output from execution of the computer algorithm or program.

Turning now descriptively to the drawings, in which similar reference characters denote similar elements throughout the several views, FIG. 1 depicts an exemplary general-purpose computing system in which illustrated embodiments of the present invention may be implemented.

A generalized computering embodiment in which the present invention can be realized is depicted in FIG. 1 illustrating a processing system 100 which generally comprises at least one processor 102, or processing unit or plurality of processors, memory 104, at least one input device 106 and at least one output device 108, coupled together via a bus or group of buses 110. In certain embodiments, input device 106 and output device 108 could be the same device. An interface 112 can also be provided for coupling the processing system 100 to one or more peripheral devices, for example interface 112 could be a PCI card or PC card. At least one storage device 114 which houses at least one database 116 can also be provided. The memory 104 can be any form of memory device, for example, volatile or non-volatile memory, solid state storage devices, magnetic devices, etc. The processor 102 could comprise more than one distinct processing device, for example to handle different functions within the processing system 100. Input device 106 receives input data 118 and can comprise, for example, a keyboard, a pointer device such as a pen-like device or a mouse, audio receiving device for voice controlled activation such as a microphone, data receiver or antenna such as a modem or wireless data adaptor, data acquisition card, etc. input data 118 could come from different sources, for example keyboard instructions in conjunction with data received via a network. Output device 108 produces or generates output data 120 and can comprise, for example, a display device or monitor in which case output data 120 is visual, a printer in which case output data 120 is printed, a port for example a USB port, a peripheral component adaptor, a data transmitter or antenna such as a modem or wireless network adaptor, etc. Output data 120 could be distinct and derived from different output devices, for example a visual display on a monitor in conjunction with data transmitted to a network. A user could view data output, or an interpretation of the data output, on, for example, a monitor or using a printer. The storage device 114 can be any form of data or information storage means, for example, volatile or non-volatile memory, solid state storage devices, magnetic devices, etc.

In use, the processing system 100 is adapted to allow data or information to be stored in and/or retrieved from, via wired or wireless communication means, at least one database 116. The interface 112 may allow wired and/or wireless communication between the processing unit 102 and peripheral components that may serve a specialized purpose. Preferably, the processor 102 receives instructions as input data 118 via input device 106 and can display processed results or other output to a user by utilizing output device 108. More than one input device 106 and/or output device 108 can be provided. It should be appreciated that the processing system 100 may be any form of terminal, server, specialized hardware, or the like.

It is to be appreciated that the processing system 100 may be a part of a networked communications system. Processing system 100 could connect to a network, for example the Internet or a WAN. Input data 118 and output data 120 could be communicated to other devices via the network. The transfer of information and/or data over the network can be achieved using wired communications means or wireless communications means. A server can facilitate the transfer of data between the network and one or more databases. A server and one or more databases provide an example of an information source.

Thus, the processing computing system environment 100 illustrated in FIG. 1 may operate in a networked environment using logical connections to one or more remote computers. The remote computer may be a personal computer, a server, a router, a network PC, a peer device, or other common network node, and typically includes many or all of the elements described above.

It is to be further appreciated that the logical connections depicted in FIG. 1 include a local area network (LAN) and a wide area network (WAN), but may also include other networks such as a personal area network (PAN). Such networking environments are commonplace in offices, enterprise-wide computer networks, intranets, and the Internet. For instance, when used in a LAN networking environment, the computing system environment 100 is connected to the LAN through a network interface or adapter. When used in a WAN networking environment, the computing system environment typically includes a modem or other means for establishing communications over the WAN, such as the Internet. The modem, which may be internal or external, may be connected to a system bus via a user input interface, or via another appropriate mechanism. In a networked environment, program modules depicted relative to the computing system environment 100, or portions thereof, may be stored in a remote memory storage device. It is to be appreciated that the illustrated network connections of FIG. 1 are exemplary and other means of establishing a communications link between multiple computers may be used.

FIG. 1 is intended to provide a brief, general description of an illustrative and/or suitable exemplary environment in which embodiments of the below described present invention may be implemented. FIG. 1 is an example of a suitable environment and is not intended to suggest any limitation as to the structure, scope of use, or functionality of an embodiment of the present invention. A particular environment should not be interpreted as having any dependency or requirement relating to any one or combination of components illustrated in an exemplary operating environment. For example, in certain instances, one or more elements of an environment may be deemed not necessary and omitted. In other instances, one or more other elements may be deemed necessary and added.

In the description that follows, certain embodiments may be described with reference to acts and symbolic representations of operations that are performed by one or more computing devices, such as the computing system environment 100 of FIG. 1. As such, it will be understood that such acts and operations, which are at times referred to as being computer-executed, include the manipulation by the processor of the computer of electrical signals representing data in a structured form. This manipulation transforms the data or maintains them at locations in the memory system of the computer, which reconfigures or otherwise alters the operation of the computer in a manner understood by those skilled in the art. The data structures in which data is maintained are physical locations of the memory that have particular properties defined by the format of the data. However, while an embodiment is being described in the foregoing context, it is not meant to be limiting as those of skill in the art will appreciate that the acts and operations described hereinafter may also be implemented in hardware.

Embodiments may be implemented with numerous other general-purpose or special-purpose computing devices and computing system environments or configurations. Examples of well-known computing systems, environments, and configurations that may be suitable for use with an embodiment include, but are not limited to, personal computers, handheld or laptop devices, tablet devices (e.g., an iPad™), personal digital assistants, multiprocessor systems, microprocessor-based systems, set top boxes, programmable consumer electronics, network, minicomputers, server computers, game server computers, web server computers, mainframe computers, and distributed computing environments that include any of the above systems or devices.

Embodiments may be described in a general context of computer-executable instructions, such as program modules, being executed by a computer. Generally, program modules include routines, programs, objects, components, data structures, etc., that perform particular tasks or implement particular abstract data types. An embodiment may also be practiced in a distributed computing environment where tasks are performed by remote processing devices that are linked through a communications network. In a distributed computing environment, program modules may be located in both local and remote computer storage media including memory storage devices.

With the exemplary computing system environment 100 of FIG. 1 being generally shown and discussed above, and with references to FIGS. 2A and 2B, an illustrated embodiment of the invention relating to a “Transcription Tool” will now be discussed. It is to be understood the Transcription Tool, referenced generally by 200, is provided for users of the sports simulation or game operating in accordance with the systems, components and/or methods of the illustrated embodiments of the invention, to assist them in capturing or recording their thoughts and observations about the real life sports players that are the subject of the sports simulation or game. It is to be understood the transcription tool can be a software program, including computer-executable code, running on a local or remote computer, a “smart phone,” or any other device capable of running such software. The transcription tool is configured to enable a user to express their opinions, or capture facts of interest by entering—for example, via keyboard, voice recognition, or other means—his or her notes or observations, along with an optionally incomplete description that identifies which real life player the user is referring to.

In accordance with an illustrated embodiment, when a user has an observation regarding a player which the user desires to electronically memorialize (step 250), the user enters this information into the system 100 and the transcription tool 200 is adapted and configured to compare information that the user has entered (step 252) with the information that is stored by the simulation or game, regarding the universe of real life sports players who are the subject of the simulation or game, in order to identify which player the user's entry refers to (step 254). If it is not possible to identify one specific player, a short list of likely matches can be presented (step 256). Such action can be configured to occur automatically, concurrently or shortly after the user has entered the information.

The subject transcription tool can be adapted and configured so that at a time of the user's choosing, some or all of the information that the user has entered, for which correct matches to real life players exist, can be transferred from the transcription tool to a component of the sports simulation or game that provides a database or other repository with which the user collects, organizes, stores, and/or archives all such observations, notes, and/or other information (step 258).

It is to be appreciated the transcription tool 200 replaces a model of observing a sporting event and writing down notes and observations, for later entry into some electronic format. This component of an illustrated embodiment of the invention solves the problem of observations occurring in rapid succession, causing some information to be forgotten or missed, or not always knowing all identifying information about a particular player. As an example, the user may not know a player's name, but may know his or her team and uniform number. If the user enters this information along with his or her observation(s), it will be highly likely that the transcription tool will correctly match with the player being observed.

Another illustrated embodiment of the invention will now be discussed with reference to FIGS. 3A and 3B in which a “Draft Tool” component, referenced generally by “300”, will now be discussed. It is to be understood the “Draft Tool” component 300 is configured to enable users of the present invention to participate in a virtual way with the real world entry draft of the real life sport which is the subject of the simulation or game, as being experienced by the user. It is to be appreciated that in the event the real life sport in question does not conduct a draft to allocate new players to the various real life teams that participate in the sport, then this component would, depending on the implementation, not be available to the user.

The draft tool can be adapted and configured to present to the user, actual real world draft choices of the applicable teams which are the subject of the simulation or game, in as near to real time as practicable. As part of the sports simulation or game, the user will have a plurality of draft choices that “belong” to him or her, in accordance with the rules of the sports simulation or game, which can be based on real world rules, if so desired (step 350).

In accordance with an illustrated embodiment of the present invention, when the list of actual real world choices advances such that one of the user's assigned (virtual) draft choices is the next in sequence, preferably the draft tool enables the user to make a selection from a list of eligible players. The user may not select a player already selected in the real world draft, thus simulating the experience of being a participant in the real world draft. The draft tool may be run in real time, concurrently with the real world draft, or alternatively may be run some time after the real world draft, in a way analogous to watching a live event on recorded delay (in order to accommodate as many people as possible, some of whom may have personal time conflicts with the scheduling of the real world draft) (step 352).

At the conclusion of the entire draft, the user may have a list of players that he or she selected (step 354). This list can be employed in a number of ways by the sports simulation or game, and influences the overall perception and experience of the user.

With reference now to FIGS. 4A and 4B, and in accordance with another illustrated embodiment of the present invention, description of a “Transaction Feed”, referenced generally by “400” will now be provided. It is to be appreciated that in real world sports that are the subjects of the simulation or game in its various implementations have mechanisms for reporting the transactions that affect their particular players and teams. Typically, these relate to players being added or removed from a team's roster, players being traded from one team to another, players being put on a list which affects their status (such as an “injured reserve” list or a “suspended” list), or any number of others. Such transactions are commonly available as public domain news in print media and on many different internet sites.

Sports simulations or games operating in accordance with the systems, components and/or methods of the invention, can use the transaction feed (the list of transactions for the sport that is the subject of the sports simulation or game) to identify opportunities in the real world transactions that users of the sports simulations or games have to “mirror,” or mimic, within the sports simulation or game. A feature of the sports simulation or game, depending on the implementation, is the ability for the user to manage a virtual team, with a full roster of real life players. The following example of how the transaction feed can be implemented, illustrates its role in combination with the systems of the invention:

-   -   A user of the simulation or game has assembled a virtual roster         of real life sports players. One such player, Player ‘A,’ is         traded by his real life team to another team for Player ‘B.’ The         user is presented with the option to do nothing, in which Player         A remains on his or her roster (and is merely now affiliated         with a different team in real life), or the user may elect to         also give up Player A in exchange for adding Player B to the         user's virtual roster (“mirroring” the real life trade).

As transactions occur in real life, they can be captured via a process, for example, involving a data feed from a news service or, alternatively, another method of input. Depending on the precise implementation, each transaction can then be analyzed as to the effect it has on the total population of users of the sports simulation or game (step 450). Each user can be provided with access to the information that they need, and be presented with the options that he or she may need to choose from, either by way of a notification (e.g., an instant message to a mobile device or an email) or by presentation in a form of “inbox” when they are using a computer program or other specialized interface in accordance with the invention (step 452). The decisions made by each user are preferably communicated to the system 100, which updates records specific to the user, as applicable (step 454). This process preferably repeats continuously each time a new real life transaction is reported (step 456).

It is to be appreciated that present invention, in accordance with the illustrated embodiments provides a sports simulation or game generally referenced by “500” in FIG. 5, which in-turn provides the user with an opportunity to manage a virtual team in a particular sport, which includes the component of making a series of decisions that affect which real life players will be members of the user's virtual team. This sports simulation or game can be ongoing, provided that the user remains a participant; because the sports simulation or game can be driven by real world events of many types, the sports simulation or game can be adapted and configured to play out in real time.

In accordance with one aspect, the user can accumulate players in a way that simulates the way in which teams in the applicable sport accumulate players in real life. If the subject sport has an entry draft for new players (e.g., Major League Baseball, the National Football League, the National Basketball Association, and others), then the Draft Tool described with reference to FIGS. 3A and 3B can be customized to the particular rules of the relevant organization, and used by the user to acquire players at or approximately at the same time during the year as the real life draft of that organization.

Many sports also allow players to sign contracts with teams as free agents if they are not already under contract with a team. When such a free agent signing occurs, the transaction can be processed by the Transaction Feed 400 described with reference to FIGS. 4A and 4B, above and some or all of the users may have the option to attempt to “mirror” the signing. The success of such an attempt may be assured or may depend on a rule of the sports simulation or game that introduces an element of uncertainty (e.g., a percentage chance that is resolved by a process utilizing randomness). If the attempt is successful, the player may be added to the user's roster and the user's virtual team may assume the same terms (length of contract in years and financial commitment) assumed by the real life team that signed the player. Where applicable in a particular sport, the financial value of the contract can be relevant to the simulation for purposes of complying virtually with a real life “salary cap” (a limit on the total amount that may be expended on players that is intended to provide competitive balance among the teams in the sport).

However, regardless of the specific method used to accumulate the players in the sports simulations or games, utilizing the systems, methods and/or components of the invention, the user will maintain a full roster that complies to the nearest degree of accuracy practicable with the requirements of the teams in the real sport being simulated, in accordance with one aspect of the invention. A scoring algorithm can be used to evaluate the relative value of all players that participate in the real life sport, assigning each a value for each period of time in which the player performs.

This value can be used to evaluate the performance of the user in his or her efforts to assemble the most successful team that the user can, within the rules of the sports simulation or game, and his or her individual abilities. The evaluation may take place at various times and at various levels of detail (individual player, single draft class, entire roster over many years, etc.).

In accordance with a further aspect of the invention, as an alternative, the user may elect not to participate in accumulating a full roster, but rather to only participate in the simulated drafts using the Draft Tool discussed with reference to FIGS. 3A and 3B. In this case, the user may still be provided with evaluations on his or her performance in the virtual drafts the user has executed (e.g., by comparing the performance of the players selected with various benchmarks and statistical measures of players selected with the same picks in the real world, by other users of the invention, or by various other measures).

While the foregoing written description enables one with the applicable technical (e.g., computer programming) skills to make and use what is considered presently to be the best mode thereof, those with applicable technical skills will understand and appreciate the existence of variations, combinations, and equivalents of the specific embodiments of components, systems, and/or methods set forth herein. The invention is therefore not limited by the above described examples.

As used herein, the term “software” is meant to be synonymous with any code or program that can be in a processor of a host computer, regardless of whether the implementation is in hardware, firmware or as a software computer product available on a disc, a memory storage device, or for download from a remote machine. The embodiments described herein include such software to implement the equations, relationships and algorithms described above. One skilled in the art will appreciate further features and advantages of the invention based on the above-described embodiments. Accordingly, the invention is not to be limited by what has been particularly shown and described, except as indicated by the appended claims. All publications and references cited herein are expressly incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.

Optional embodiments of the present invention may also be said to broadly consist in the parts, elements and features referred to or indicated herein, individually or collectively, in any or all combinations of two or more of the parts, elements or features, and wherein specific integers are mentioned herein which have known equivalents in the art to which the invention relates, such known equivalents are deemed to be incorporated herein as if individually set forth.

Although illustrated embodiments of the present invention has been described, it should be understood that various changes, substitutions, and alterations can be made by one of ordinary skill in the art without departing from the scope of the present invention. 

1. A computer-implemented method for allowing users to participate in a fantasy sports contest using real-time player team transaction data comprising the steps of: providing computer memory means containing a roster of players constituting a user's team in a fantasy sports contest; electronically accessing actual real-time player team transactions data for at least each of the players constituted as being on the user's team in the fantasy sports contest; enabling a user to decide whether a player is on the user's team based upon the electronically accessed actual real-time player team transactions; electronically updating the player roster for the user's team based upon a user decision made in the enabling step.
 2. A computer implemented method as recited in claim 1 wherein the fantasy sports contest is fantasy football.
 3. A computer implemented method as recited in claim 1 wherein the step of electronically accessing actual real-time player team transactions data includes electronically accessing publicly available data.
 4. A computer implemented method as recited in claim 1 wherein the real-time player team transactions data is accessed via the internet.
 5. A computer implemented method as recited in claim 1 wherein the real-time player team transactions data includes a player being traded from one team to another.
 6. A computer implemented method as recited in claim 6 wherein the real-time player team transactions data includes a player being traded from one team to another in consideration of a draft pick.
 7. A computer implemented method as recited in claim 1 wherein the enabling step includes the user's decisions being bounded by actual real-time team transaction data relating to a player.
 8. A computer implemented method as recited in claim 1 wherein the roster of players for the user's team coincides with the full position roster for a team in a particular real-time sports league.
 9. A computer implemented method as recited in claim 8 further including the step of providing an electronic scoring system for a user's team based upon real-time performance statistics for each player on the user's team.
 10. A computer implemented method as recited in claim 1 further including the steps of providing a user with a plurality of draft picks bounded by actual real-time draft picks for the user's team in a particular sports league.
 11. A computer implemented method as recited in claim 1 further including the step of electronically synchronizing the user's roster of players for a user's team in a fantasy sports contest with an electronic game such that the electronic game simulates game play in the fantasy sports contest using at least the user's roster of players.
 12. A computer controlled system for allowing users to participate in a fantasy sports contest using real-time player team transaction data on a remote user computer system, the computer system comprising: a processing system having computer memory means containing a roster of players constituting a user's team in a fantasy sports contest, the processing system controlled by software for electronically accessing actual real-time player team transactions data for at least each of the players constituted as being on the user's team in the fantasy sports contest and electronically updating the player roster for the user's team based upon a user decision; and means for remotely interacting with a remote user computer system configured to communicate with the remote user computer system to enable a user to decide whether a player is on the user's team based upon the electronically accessed actual real-time player team transactions.
 13. A computer controlled system as recited in claim 12 wherein the remote user computer system is selected from the group consisting of a smart phone device and a personal computer.
 14. A computer controlled system as recited in claim 12 wherein the means for remotely interacting with a user computer system includes means for communicating via the internet.
 15. A computer controlled system as recited in claim 12 wherein the processing system is configured to electronically access publicly available data actual to acquire real-time player team transactions data.
 16. A computer controlled system as recited in claim 15 wherein the real-time player team transactions data includes data corresponding to a player being traded from one team to another.
 17. A computer controlled system as recited in claim 12 wherein the processing system is configured to bind a user's decisions by actual real-time team transaction data relating to a player.
 18. A computer controlled system as recited in claim 12 wherein the processing system is configured to provide a roster of players for the user's team to be selected by the user to coincide with the full position roster for a team in a particular real-time sports league.
 19. A computer controlled system as recited in claim 18 wherein the processing system is configured to provide an electronic scoring system for a user's team based upon real-time performance statistics for each player on the user's team.
 20. A computer controlled system as recited in claim 12 wherein the processing system is configured to synchronize the user's roster of players for a user's team in a fantasy sports contest with an electronic game such that the electronic game is enabled to simulate game play in the fantasy sports contest using at least the user's roster of players. 